Thermoformed customized object holder for direct to object printers

ABSTRACT

A method for printing on a multi-dimensional object may include creating a customized object holder for the multi-dimensional object by heating a thermoforming sheet to a thermoforming temperature, molding the heated thermoforming sheet around at least a portion of a multi-dimensional object to form a holding portion for the multi-dimensional object, creating one or more printable areas on the molded thermoforming sheet, and applying one or more datum points on the molded thermoformed sheet. The one or more datum points may be configured to provide information relating to position of the one or more printable areas to a print system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/477,218, filed Apr. 3, 2017, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Distinguishing consumer products, such as beverages, sports memorabilia,fashion accessories etc., from those of competitors in an attractive andinteresting manner increases sales and consumption of the product. Thevisual appeal of a product may be optimized to appeal to a target marketby adding designs on the product or the product container that appeal tothe consumers. Furthermore, vendors or service providers often like topersonalize their products to advertise the services offered to make theitem more fun and entertaining, commemorate a special occasion, or thelike. However, while printing on objects during the mass-manufacturingprocess itself is widely known (e.g., ball skins are printed withpatterns or logos prior to the ball being completed and inflated duringmanufacturing), techniques for individualized printing on objects havingcurved, non-planar, or non-linear surfaces are generally limited andalso very expensive.

For example, current systems for printing on an object having curved,non-planar, or non-linear surfaces require an object holder to hold theobject steady while its position and/or orientation is carefully variedwith respect to a print head by moving the object holder and/or theprint head. Such object holders must be custom designed and made foreach object (or for each batch of similar objects) to be printed,requiring additional resources and time which significantly adds to thecost of printing. Moreover, custom designed object holders also take upsignificant storage space.

This document describes devices and methods that are intended to addressissues discussed above and/or other issues.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a method for printing on a multi-dimensional objectmay include creating a customized object holder for a multi-dimensionalobject A method for printing on a multi-dimensional object may includecreating a customized object holder for the multi-dimensional object byheating a thermoforming sheet to a thermoforming temperature, moldingthe heated thermoforming sheet around at least a portion of amulti-dimensional object to form a holding portion for themulti-dimensional object, creating one or more printable areas on themolded thermoforming sheet, and applying one or more datum points on themolded thermoformed sheet. The one or more datum points may beconfigured to provide information relating to position of the one ormore printable areas to a print system.

The method may further include mounting the multi-dimensional object onthe customized object holder, attaching the customized object holder toa moving sled of a print system via a mounting structure, and, by aprocessor, controlling a movement of the moving sled relative to aplurality of print heads. The processor may control the movement of themoving sled by determining, using the one or more datum points, aposition of at least one printable area on the multi-dimensional objectwith respect to the plurality of print heads, and using the determinedposition to control the movement of the moving sled relative to theplurality of print heads. The method may also include, by the processor,operating the plurality of print heads to eject marking material ontothe multi-dimensional object.

In certain embodiments, using the one or more datum points to determinethe position of at least one printable area on the multi-dimensionalobject with respect to the plurality of print heads may includereceiving, from the one or more datum points, the registrationinformation corresponding to the one or more printable areas of themulti-dimensional object, and using the registration information todetermine the position of the printable areas.

The one or more printable areas on the molded thermoform sheet may becreated by removing a part of the thermoforming sheet that forms theholding portion. Alternatively and/or additionally, one or moreprintable molding the heated thermoforming sheet around at least theportion of the multi-dimensional object such that a second portion ofthe multi-dimensional object is not covered by the thermoforming sheet.In some embodiments, applying the at least one datum point may includeapplying optical gratings, color markings, ultraviolet (UV) traces,infrared (IR) traces, thermal traces, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the position of at least one printable area on themulti-dimensional object with respect to the plurality of print headsmay be determined by receiving the registration informationcorresponding to the one or more printable areas of themulti-dimensional object from the at least one datum point, anddetermining the position of the at least one printable area on themulti-dimensional object using the received datum information.

In various embodiments, the customized object holder may also include anidentification tag that includes information about the customized objectholder. In one or more embodiments, information relating to thecustomized object holder may include one or more of the following: atype of object held within the customized object holder, a number ofobjects held within the customized object holder, information regardingone or more characteristics of an object, information regarding aprintable area of an object, information regarding one or morecharacteristics of the customized object holder, and a location of theobject within the customized object holder.

In various embodiments, a system for printing on a multi-dimensionalobject may include a plurality of print heads, a moving sled configuredto receive a customized object holder, an actuator configured to movethe moving sled relative to the plurality of print heads, a processingdevice, and a non-transitory, computer-readable memory containingprogramming instructions. The system may be configured to create thecustomized object holder configured to hold a multi-dimensional object,control a movement of the moving sled relative to the plurality of printheads, via the actuator, and operate the plurality of print heads toeject marking material onto a multidimensional object mounted on themoving sled.

In some embodiments, the customized object holder may include a base andat least one datum point. In an embodiment, the customized object holdermay also be configured to be mounted on the moving sled via a mountingstructure, and the base of the customized object holder may beconfigured to have a size and a shape that fits within the mountingstructure. The mounting structure may be configured to attach to thebase along a periphery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a print system for printing on a3-dimensional object, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example cabinet within which the print system ifFIG. 1 may be installed, according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a front view and a back view, respectively,of a prior art customized object holder for mounting an object in theprint system of FIG. 1, according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example customized object holder mountedon a universal mounting structure for mounting an object in the printsystem of FIG. 1, according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate another example customized object holdermounted on a universal mounting structure for mounting an object in theprint system of FIG. 1, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart illustrating an example method of a using acustomized object holder for printing on an object, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart illustrating an example method ofcreating a customized object holder, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts various embodiments of one or more electronic devices forimplementing the various methods and processes described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, methodologiesor protocols described, as these may vary. The terminology used in thisdescription is for the purpose of describing the particular versions orembodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

As used in this document, any word in singular form, along with thesingular forms “a,” “an” and “the,” include the plural reference unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, alltechnical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings ascommonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Allpublications mentioned in this document are incorporated by reference.Nothing in this document is to be construed as an admission that theembodiments described in this document are not entitled to antedate suchdisclosure by virtue of prior invention. As used herein, the term“comprising” means “including, but not limited to.”

The term “object” refers to a print media substrate that is made of anymulti-dimensional material. An object may include planar, curved,non-planar, or non-linear surfaces. Content may be printed on the printmedia substrate using toner and/or ink. The object may, for example,include one or more areas comprising characters, and one or more otherareas comprising images. Examples of objects which can be printed asdescribed below include, without limitation, round, spherical,rectangular, square, oval, or curved objects such as sporting balls,various types of containers (such as mugs, bottles, etc.), textilematerials (such as fabrics used in clothing, hats, footwear, or otherapparel), pens, photoframes, ceramics, or the like.

A “print device” or “print engine” is a device that is configured toprint content on an object based on digital data, or a multi-functionaldevice in which one of the functions is printing content based ondigital data. Example components of a print device include a print head,which may include components such as a print cartridge containing ink,toner or another print material so that the print head can printcharacters and/or images on the object.

A “print system” is a system of hardware components that include a printdevice and other components. For example, a printing system may includea marking engine (i.e., the print hardware or print engine) and adigital front end. A digital front end (DFE) is an integrated printworkflow management system, including one or more processing devices,capable of receiving and processing print requests and controlling theoperation of a print engine to fulfill the print request. The DFE andprint engine may be part of a single device (such as a digital printingpress), or separate parts of a system of networked devices.

A “processor” or “processing device” is a hardware component of anelectronic device that is configured to execute programminginstructions. The term “processor” may refer to either a singleprocessor or to multiple processors that together implement varioussteps of a process. Unless the context specifically states that a singleprocessor is required or that multiple processors are required, the term“processor” includes both the singular and plural embodiments.

This document describes a customized object holder that may be used tomount one or more objects to a print system via a universal mountingstructure when causing a print system to print on the object. Thecustomized object holder may be custom manufactured for each type and/orshape of an object using a thermoforming method such that the objectholder at least partially conforms to the shape of the object heldwithin. Such thermoforming method requires minimal design andfabrication time, and is inexpensive compared to the existing methodsfor manufacturing object holders for a direct to object print system.The customized object holder also includes unique datum points forproviding accurate registration of the object(s) held within the objectholder. In this system, the universal mounting structure helps inmounting the object holder to a moving sled of a direct to object printsystem. In this way, printing on a three-dimensional object may beperformed without wasting time and resources for designing andmanufacturing object holders.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a print system for printing on anobject. In various embodiments, the print system 100 may include anarray or other set of print heads 104, a support member 108, a movingsled 112 movably mounted to the support member 108, an actuator 116operatively connected to the moving sled 112, an object holder 120configured to mount to the moving sled 112, and a controller 124 incommunication with the print heads 104 and the actuator 116. As shown inFIG. 1, the array of print heads 104 may be arranged in atwo-dimensional array, (e.g., a 10×1 array), although other arrayconfigurations can be used. In some embodiments, the controller 124 isalso operatively connected to an optical sensor 354.

In various embodiments, each print head may be fluidly connected to asupply of marking material (not shown) and is configured to ejectmarking material received from the supply. In an embodiment, one or moreof the print heads may be connected to the same supply. Alternativelyand/or additionally, each print head may be connected to its own supplysuch that each print head may eject a different marking material.

In various embodiments, the support member 108 may be positioned to beparallel to a plane formed by the array of print heads and, as shown inFIG. 1, is oriented so one end of the support member 108 is at a highergravitational potential than the other end of the support member. Thisorientation enables the printing system 100 to have a smaller footprintthan an alternative embodiment that horizontally orients the array ofprint heads. While the current embodiment illustrates a single railacting as a support member 108, it will be understood to those skilledin the art that a plurality of rails disposed parallel to each other arewithin the scope of this disclosure.

In an embodiment, a moving sled 112 is movably mounted to the supportmember 108 to enable the moving sled to slide along the support member.In some embodiments, the moving sled 112 may move bi-directionally alongthe support member. In other embodiments, the support member 108 may beconfigured to provide a return path to the lower end of the supportmember to form a track for the movably mounted member. In variousembodiments, an actuator 116 may be operatively connected to the movingsled 112 and configured to move the moving sled 112 along the supportmember 108 such that the object holder 120 connected to the moving sled112 may pass the array of print heads 104 in one dimension of thetwo-dimensional array of print heads. In the embodiment, the objectholder 120 moves an object 122 along the length dimension of the arrayof print heads 104. In various embodiments, the gap presented betweenthe objects carried by the object holder 120 and the print heads of thearray of print heads 104 is in a range of about five to about six mm.

The controller 124 is configured with programmed instructions stored ina memory in communication with the controller so the controller canexecute the programmed instructions to operate components in theprinting system 100. In various embodiments, the controller 124 may beconfigured to provide instruction to the actuator 116 to move the objectholder 120 past the array of print heads 104. The controller may also beconfigured to operate the array of print heads 104 to eject markingmaterial onto objects held by the object holder 120 as the object holderpasses the array of print heads 104.

In various embodiments, the system configuration shown in FIG. 1 may behoused in a single cabinet 180, as depicted in FIG. 2, and installed innon-production outlets. Once installed, various object holders, asdescribed further below, can be used with the system to print a varietyof goods that are generic in appearance until printed.

An example of a prior art customized prior art object holder 120 isshown in FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3A, the object holder 120 includes aplate 304 having apertures 308 in which objects 312, which are golf clubheads in the figure, are placed for printing. A latch 316 is configuredfor selectively mounting the object holder 120 to the moving sled 112.The latch 316 includes locating features 320 to aid in properlypositioning the object holder 120 for securing the holder to the movingsled 112, which is supported by members 108 as shown in FIG. 3A. Onceproperly positioned, levers 322 operate the latch 316 to secure theholder 120 to the moving sled 112. FIG. 3B shows a front view of theobject holder 120 secured to the moving sled 112. However, as discussedabove, an object holder for a print system configured to print on 3Dobjects must be individually tooled or manufactured for each type ofobject, which leads to unnecessary consumption of resources, time, andmoney. This document describes an integrated object packaging system andobject holder for use with the print system of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

A thermoforming sheet is a sheet, film, plate, or the like of suitablethickness made from a thermoplastic material, which when heated to asuitable forming temperature becomes pliable for further processing suchas molding to a desired shape. Thermoforming is a technique thatinvolves heating a thermoforming sheet to a forming temperature, moldingthe pliable sheet to a desired shape, and curing so that it retains thatshape. A typical thermoforming process utilizes two complementary shapedmolds. The two molds include a positive mold that defines the convexportion of the shape of the film, and a negative mold that defines theconcave portion of the shape of the film (or vice versa). With theheated thermoforming sheet positioned between the molds, the negativemold is pressed into the positive mold, or vice versa, to form the sheetinto the shape defined by the molds. The molded sheet is then cured sothat it retains the molded shape. Other thermoforming processes utilizevacuum pressure to draw a heated sheet into a mold that has an innercontour with the desired shape (by controlling movement of the sheetusing vacuum and/or air pressure). Such thermoforming processes requirea separate mold be used to mold each shape and/or size.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, the current disclosure describes an example ofa customized object holder 401 that may be used to hold at least oneobject 402, and that may be mounted to a moving sled of the print systemof FIG. 1, via a universal mounting structure 403. FIG. 4B illustratesan exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 4A. The customized objectholder also includes one or more unique datum points for accurateregistration of the one or more objects 402 with respect to print headsof the print system of FIG. 1. It should be noted that while FIG. 4Aillustrates one object held within the object holder, the disclosure isnot so limited and more than one object (similar or dissimilar) may beheld within the customized object holder.

In some embodiments, the customized object holder 401 includes a base420 and a holding portion 410 configured to securely hold an object 402.As discussed below, with respect to FIG. 6, the object holder 401 isformed from a thermoforming sheet that has been formed to include thebase 420 and the holding portion 410. As discussed below, the object 402is used to mold or shape the thermoforming sheet during thethermoforming process to form at least one pocket in the thermoformingsheet that encapsulates the object 402 and serves as the holding portion410 of the object holder 401. Therefore, the holding portion 410 closelyconforms to the contours and outer shape of the object 402, such thatthe object 402 is received and securely fits within holding portion 410and movement is limited by, for example, friction. Limited or restrictedmovement allows for accurate registration of each object with respect tothe print heads during printing. In various embodiments, the base 420may be provided in configurations that are not planar, such as a box,cylinder, or other types of three-dimensional configurations. The object402 may be mounted on and/or removed from the object holder 401 by, forexample, a snap-fit mechanism, using ties, latches, application ofrequired forces to apply and/or counter the frictional hold of theholding portion on the object etc., or other similar securing means.

In various embodiments, the thermoforming sheet can be a rigid film or asemi-rigid film, and can be clear or transparent, or it can be colored.The thermoforming sheet is selected to have enough rigidity and strengthto support one or more objects held within the holding portions. Thethermoforming sheet can be made of, without limitation, polystyrenes,polypropylenes, polyethylenes, polyethylene terephthalates, polyvinylchloride polystyrenes, polyvinylydene chlorides, fluoride resins,polycarbonates, polyamides, polyphenylene oxides, and the like,laminated combinations of thermoplastic and non-thermoplastic materialsor other known thermoplastic and non-thermoplastic materials. Thethermoforming sheet can be a single layer structure or a multi-layerstructure.

In some embodiments, the holding portion 410 is configured to hold anobject such that at least a part of the object is not covered (orexposed) by the thermoforming sheet and may form a “printable area” 421.In an embodiment, a printable area may be formed during thethermoforming process. Alternatively and/or additionally, a printablearea of an object may be covered by the thermoforming sheet that may beremoved before printing on the objects (e.g., by cutting away thethermoforming sheet covering a printable area) (discussed below). In anembodiment, an object may include one or more printable areas. The oneor more printable areas are defined (i.e., sized and shaped) such thatthe holding portion 410 is still able to provide a secure fit for theobject 402, and restrict movement of the object 402.

In various embodiments, the base 420 may also include labels, markings,printed text, etchings, marking material, pictures, tabs, and the like(“datum points” 422) for providing accurate registration of theobject(s) 402, as well as the printable areas, held within the objectholder 401. This allows a controller of a print system to accuratelydetermine the position of one or more objects (and/or each printablearea of each object) included in the object holder 401 with respect tothe print heads (“registration”). A skew, lateral misalignment or errorin the registration of the object holder can lead to errors, such asimage and/or color registration errors. In other words, one or moredatum points provide location information relating to one or moreobjects (and/or each printable area of each object) included in theobject holder 401. For example, in some embodiments, the base 420 mayinclude ruler markings along one or more sides, grid markings along theentire surface, axial (x, y, and/or z) markings, reference points, orthe like for providing location information to the controller of a printsystem. The datum points 422 may be included in the base 420 beforeand/or after forming the holding portions (using thermoforming). Thedatum points 422 may be applied using for example, without limitation,optical gratings, color markings, ultraviolet (UV) traces, infrared (IR)traces, thermal traces, or the like; and the print system may includeone or more sensors such as, without limitation, optical sensors,optical encoders, UV sensors, IR sensors, thermal sensors, electricalsensors, or the like. As such, the print controller may receive and/ordetermine registration information by monitoring the datum points and/orthe objects held within an object holder, using one or more sensors.

Alternatively and/or additionally, an object holder 401, may include anidentification tag (not shown here) for providing identification and/orinformation regarding the object holder 401 to a controller of a printsystem. The information may include registration information. Examplesof such identification systems may include, barcodes attached to orprinted on the object holder, radio frequency identification (RFID)tags, QR codes, integrated chips, or the like. Examples of informationrelating to the object holder and the objects held within may include,without limitation, type of objects held within the object holder, thenumber of objects included in object holder, information regarding theobjects (such as shape, dimensions, material, etc.), informationregarding the “printable area” of each object (such as shape,dimensions, material, etc.), information regarding a packaging unit(such as shape, dimensions, material, etc.), location of each object(and/or printable area) within the object holder, location of eachprintable area within the object holder, or the like.

In some embodiments, the base 420 of the object holder 401 is configuredto attach to a universal mounting structure 403. FIGS. 4A and 4Billustrate an example universal mounting structure 403 shaped as a framethat surrounds and attaches to the periphery of the base 420 of theobject holder 401. The universal mounting structure may be attached tothe periphery of the base 420 using various attachment means such as,without limitation, adhesives, nut and bolts, fastening means, pins,grooves or slots in the universal mounting structure for receivingcomplementary flanges/tabs included in the base (or vice versa), or thelike. Hence, the base 420 of the object holder 401 generally hasdimensions, thickness, shape, etc. that conforms to the shape of theuniversal mounting structures 403, and can be attached and/or mounted tothe universal mounting structure 403 such that customized object holderscreated for different objects may be mounted on the universal mountingstructure 403. The universal mounting structure 403 is configured suchthat it does not hinder or obstruct the operation of the print systemand/or printing on the printable areas of the objects held by the objectholder. As such, it will be understood to those skilled in the art thatwhile the current disclosure describes a frame shaped universal mountingstructure configured to peripherally surround the base of an objectholder, other shapes and configurations are within the scope of thisdisclosure.

In some embodiments, the universal mounting structure 403 may includevarious features such as bores and apertures to facilitate securement ofother device components thereto and/or for securing the mountingstructure 403 to a moving sled of a print system (such as thosedescribed above with respect to FIGS. 3A and 3B). In an embodiment, theuniversal mounting structure 403 may also include various features suchas hinges or other rotational means for changing the orientation of theuniversal mounting structure 403 with respect to the moving sled of theprint system.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart describing an example method forcreating a customized object holder and using the customized objectholder for printing on an object is illustrated.

In step 501, a customized object holder is created using the stepsdescribed in FIG. 6, and an object is mounted on the customized objectholder. As shown in FIG. 6, first a thermoforming sheet for creating anobject holder is pre-heated to a thermoforming temperature (step 601),such as using an oven. The forming temperature may be any suitabletemperature for the type of material used for the thermoforming sheetthat is capable of causing the thermoforming sheet to become pliable andcapable of being stretched and deformed without tearing or breaking andthat does not burn or blister the thermoforming sheet. The thermoformingsheet may be heated from both sides or may be heated from just one side,e.g., the top or the bottom.

One or more objects are then properly aligned and moved into engagementwith each other such that the thermoforming sheet is deformed, i.e., thethermoforming sheet is molded (step 602) by the object(s) and partiallysurrounds the object(s) by taking on a thermoformed shape that conformsto a shape of the object(s). The object(s) are therefore used as a moldto shape the thermoforming sheet and form a holding portion(s) in thethermoforming sheet having a form fit that closely surrounds theobject(s) and conforms to the outer shape and contours of the object(s).To thermoform the thermoforming sheet, application of mechanical forces,pressure, vacuum, or the like may used to cause the thermoforming sheetto surround and closely conform to the object(s).

The thermoforming sheet is then cured (step 603) around the objects(s)so that the sheet can retain the thermoformed shape. The thermoformingsheet may be cured in any suitable manner appropriate for the materialsused. Examples of types of curing that may be used include radiantheating, cooling, forced air, microwave dryers and combinations of thesetypes.

One or more printable areas for the object(s) may then be created (step604) on the cured thermoformed sheet. In certain embodiments, theprintable areas may be automatically created when the thermoformingsheet is cured. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, curing thethermoforming sheet using the object(s) as a mold creates printable area421 which is an area of the object 402 not covered by the object holder401, and may be printed upon. Alternatively and/or additionally, one ormore printable areas may be created by cutting out portions of the curedthermoforming sheet that form the holding portion discussed above. Forexample, as shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D, printable area 421 is created byremoving a portion of the thermoforming sheet that is molded around theobject 402 and that forms the holding portion (FIG. 4D is an explodedview of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4C). Any suitable cutting processmay be employed for removal of portions of the thermoforming sheet suchas, without limitation, die cutting, laser cutting, saw, blade,ultrasonic, or the like.

It should be noted that the above thermoforming process for creating acustomized object holder may be performed using any now or hereafterknow thermoforming systems or components that may form a part of theprinting system described in FIG. 1, and/or may be separate and distinctfrom the printing system described in FIG. 1. Other now or hereafterknown manufacturing processes may also be used to create the customizedobject holder in association with and/or as a substitute tothermoforming. Furthermore, a customized object holder once created maybe used for printing on other similar objects.

In step 605, one or more datum points may be applied to and/or createdon the customized object holder, as discussed above with respect to FIG.4A.

Referring back to FIG. 5, in step 502, the customized object holderincluding the object(s) held within is attached to a universal mountingstructure. The universal mounting structure is then used to mount thecustomized object holder onto the moving sled of a print system (step503).

Next, the print system may receive and/or determine (step 504) theposition of each printable area (i.e., registration information)associated with each object held within the object holder mounted on themounting structure with respect to the print heads (i.e., register eachprintable area). In some embodiments, the print system may determine theregistration information using a sensor (e.g., optical sensor) tomonitor one or more datum points and the object(s) and/or printablearea(s). For example, the print system may monitor optical grading onthe object holder using an optical encoder to determine the position ofeach object and/or printable area. In various embodiments, the printsystem may recognize printable area(s) as areas on the object(s) and/orportions of the object holder that are not covered by a thermoformingsheet.

Additionally and/or alternatively, the print system may receive and/ordetermine the registration information by first receiving identifyinginformation corresponding to the object holder. In an embodiment, thesystem may receive the identifying information by, for example, scanninga barcode or like attached to the object holder, from an RFID tag, usingoptical character recognition (OCR), scanning an image attached to theobject holder, or the like. Examples of identifying information mayinclude, without limitation, stock keeping unit number (SKU), a productcode (UPC), an International Article Number (EAN), model numbers,product manufacturer name, product name, or the like. The print systemmay then retrieve more information relating to the object holder and theobjects held within using the identifying information. For example, theprint system may access a database such as a product registrationdatabase and retrieve the above information using the identifiedinformation. Examples of information relating to the object holder andthe objects held within may include, without limitation, type of objectsheld within the object holder, the number of objects included in objectholder, information regarding the objects (such as shape, dimensions,material, etc.), information regarding the “printable area” of eachobject (such as shape, dimensions, material, etc.), informationregarding a packaging unit (such as shape, dimensions, material, etc.),location of each object (and/or printable area), or the like.

In step 505, the print system may receive information relating to printdata to be printed on each printable area and may control the movement(step 506) using the registration information and the print datainformation.

In step 505, the print system may print on the objects as discussedabove with respect to FIG. 1.

It should be noted that while the above disclosure describes embodimentsthat include a mounting structure movable along the length dimension ofan array of print heads, and the print heads are stationary, it will beunderstood to those skilled in the art that the print heads may also bemovable to provide a relative motion between the print heads and themounting structure. Alternatively, the mounting structure may bestationary and only the array of print heads may be movable.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of internal hardware that may be included inany of the electronic components of the print system, such as thecontroller, or the print device. An electrical bus 700 serves as aninformation highway interconnecting the other illustrated components ofthe hardware. Processor 705 is a central processing device of thesystem, configured to perform calculations and logic operations requiredto execute programming instructions. As used in this document and in theclaims, the terms “processor” and “processing device” may refer to asingle processor or any number of processors in a set of processors.Read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, harddrives and other devices capable of storing electronic data constituteexamples of memory devices 710. A memory device may include a singledevice or a collection of devices across which data and/or instructionsare stored.

An optional display interface 730 may permit information from the bus700 to be displayed on a display device 745 in visual, graphic oralphanumeric format. An audio interface and audio output (such as aspeaker) also may be provided. Communication with external devices mayoccur using various communication devices 740 such as a transmitter,transceiver, antenna, communications port or a similar device. Acommunication device 740 may be attached to a communications network,such as the Internet, a local area network or a cellular telephone datanetwork.

The hardware may also include a user interface sensor 755 that allowsfor receipt of data from input devices 750 such as a keyboard, a mouse,a joystick, a touchscreen, a remote control, a pointing device, a videoinput device and/or an audio input device. Data also may be receivedfrom an image capturing device 720, such as a scanner or camera.

The above-disclosed features and functions, as well as alternatives, maybe combined into many other different systems or applications. Variouspresently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications,variations or improvements may be made by those skilled in the art, eachof which is also intended to be encompassed by the disclosedembodiments.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for printing on amulti-dimensional object, the method comprising, creating a customizedobject holder for holding the multi-dimensional object during printingby: heating a thermoforming sheet to a thermoforming temperature;molding the heated thermoforming sheet around at least a portion of amulti-dimensional object to form a holding portion for themulti-dimensional object; creating one or more printable areas on themolded thermoforming sheet by removing a art of the thermoforming sheetthat forms the holding portion; applying one or more datum points on themolded thermoformed sheet, wherein the one or more datum points areconfigured to provide information relating to position of the one ormore printable areas to a print system.
 2. A method of claim 1, furthercomprising: mounting the multi-dimensional object on the customizedobject holder; attaching, via a mounting structure, the customizedobject holder to a moving sled of a print system; by a processor,controlling a movement of the moving sled relative to a plurality ofprint heads by: determining, using the one or more datum points, aposition of at least one printable area on the multi-dimensional objectwith respect to the plurality of print heads, and using the determinedposition to control the movement of the moving sled relative to theplurality of print heads; and by the processor, operating the pluralityof print heads to eject marking material onto the multi-dimensionalobject.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining, using the one ormore datum points, the position of at least one printable area on themulti-dimensional object with respect to the plurality of print headscomprises: receiving, from the one or more datum points, theregistration information corresponding to the one or more printableareas of the multi-dimensional object; and determining the position ofthe at least one printable area on the multi-dimensional object usingthe received registration information.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereincreating the one or more printable areas on the molded thermoform sheetfurther comprises molding the heated thermoforming sheet around at leastthe portion of the multi-dimensional object such that a second portionof the multi-dimensional object is not covered by the thermoformingsheet.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the at least one datumpoint comprises applying one or more of the following: optical gratings,color markings, ultraviolet (UV) traces, infrared (IR) traces, thermaltraces, or a combination thereof.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising creating the customized object holder to include anidentification tag that includes information relating to the customizedobject holder.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the informationrelating to the customized object holder comprises one or more of thefollowing: a type of object held within the customized object holder; anumber of objects held within the customized object holder; informationregarding one or more characteristics of an object; informationregarding a printable area of an object; information regarding one ormore characteristics of the customized object holder; or a location ofthe object within the customized object holder.
 8. A system for printingon a multi-dimensional object, the system comprising: a plurality ofprint heads; a moving sled configured to receive a customized objectholder; an actuator configured to move the moving sled relative to theplurality of print heads; a processing device; and a non-transitory,computer-readable memory containing programming instructions that areconfigured to cause the processing device to: create the customizedobject holder that is configured to hold a multi-dimensional object bycausing a thermoforming system to: heat a thermoforming sheet to athermoforming temperature, mold the heated thermoforming sheet around atleast a portion of the multi-dimensional object to form a holdingportion for the multi-dimensional object, create the one or moreprintable areas on the molded thermoforming sheet by removing a part ofthe thermoforming sheet that forms the holding portion, and apply atleast one datum point on the molded thermoformed sheet, wherein the atleast one datum point is configured to provide information relating toposition of the one or more printable areas to the processing device,control a movement of the moving sled relative to the plurality of printheads, via the actuator, and control a movement of the moving sledrelative to the plurality of print heads, via the actuator, and operatethe plurality of print heads to eject marking material onto amultidimensional object mounted on the moving sled.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the customized object holder further comprises a base.10. The system of claim 8, wherein: the customized object holder isconfigured to be mounted on the moving sled via a mounting structure;and the base of the customized object holder is configured to have asize and a shape that fits within the mounting structure.
 11. The systemof claim 8, wherein the mounting structure is configured to attach tothe base along a periphery.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein theinstruction to create the one or more printable areas on the moldedthermoform sheet further comprise instructions to mold the heatedthermoforming sheet around at least the portion of the multi-dimensionalobject such that a second portion of the multi-dimensional object is notcovered by the thermoforming sheet.
 13. The system of claim 8, whereinthe instruction to apply the at least one datum point compriseinstructions to apply one or more of the following: optical gratings,color markings, ultraviolet (UV) traces, infrared (IR) traces, thermaltraces, or a combination thereof.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein theinstructions to control the movement of the moving sled relative to theplurality of print heads, further comprise instructions to: determine,using the at least one datum point, a position of at least one printablearea on the multi-dimensional object with respect to the plurality ofprint heads, and use the determined position to control the movement ofthe moving sled relative to the plurality of print heads.
 15. The systemof claim 14, wherein the instructions to determine, using the at leastone datum point, the position of at least one printable area on themulti-dimensional object with respect to the plurality of print headsfurther comprise instructions to: receive, from the at least one datumpoint, the registration information corresponding to the one or moreprintable areas of the multi-dimensional object; and determine theposition of the at least one printable area on the multi-dimensionalobject using the received registration information.